Whose Idea was Music, Music, Music?

Rod Warren was writer for both: MMM (1980) and Christmas Portrait (1978) Television Specials.

Space Encounters (1978) was written by: Larkin, Naustein, Sawyer and Spears.
Carpenters At Christmas (1977) written by Larkin and Spears.
Carpenters First Special (1976) writers: Jim Mulligan, Ray Jessel, April Kelley, George Geiger, Rich Eustis and Al Rogers.

I have been re-viewing (and reviewing) these specials.
I find the first two specials the best, that is, the most entertaining.
I like Space Encounters, generally, except for the "guest stars."

The second Christmas Special is not as entertaining as the first , imho (different writers).
The final special, good as it is musically, is simply not attention grabbing.
When I Fall In Love is a 1978 recording (which I love, by the way)---but, it jars the senses to hear Karen sing that song
and then to note the difference from the next song in the special, You're Just In Love (recorded 1980).


Much as I enjoy the music of the 1980 special, even as an 18-yr-old at the time, simply no way would it have been
something that most non-die-hard-fans would have tuned in to watch....
no matter when it was scheduled.
 
Craig, “From This Moment On” is on the Live At The Palladium álbum and cd, Warsaw Concertó there too.
 
I think Karen sounds incredible on the medley! Amazing how we all hear different things. Also, she did do the drumming on all the songs from the special, which is so cool!

I also thought it was goofy to use the ‘73 recording of ‘This Masquerade’. That was unnecessary. But Richard was and remains such an audiophile. I’d venture to guess that’s why they used it.
I think she only played drums on the sing/bacharach etc medley and the solo section of I've got rhythm.

Personally I really like this special and think her voice sounds stunning in the selections here.
 
It seems like there were two types of concerts back in those days.

"Concerts" were straight ahead music, no funny business or stuff like that.

"Revue" type events contained skits and had comedy elements. In most cases a member of the band would provide comedy relief. In Herb Alpert's band, Bob Edmondson (trombone) was the comedy guy. Julius Wechter's Baja Marimba Band had a strong concert comedy element as well. So it's understandable that K&R felt the need to inject some comedy into their shows, because they were catering to a more "grown-up" audience than the typical "rock concert" types of that era.
 
A studio version is on the Interpretation video and I could not remember if it was ever on TV.
The UK/Canada version of the Interpretations CD contains the original mono TV version that was shot for MMM but then cut (The VHS/Laserdisc/DVD video is an outtake that I think uses the USA mix). The USA version of the CD had a re-recorded stereo piano. So there are 3 different versions of that one TV track (live, mono & stereo)
 
The UK/Canada version of the Interpretations CD contains the original mono TV version that was shot for MMM but then cut (The VHS/Laserdisc/DVD video is an outtake that I think uses the USA mix). The USA version of the CD had a re-recorded stereo piano. So there are 3 different versions of that one TV track (live, mono & stereo)
What great details, thanks!!
 
I think she only played drums on the sing/bacharach etc medley and the solo section of I've got rhythm.

Personally I really like this special and think her voice sounds stunning in the selections here.
Nope, Karen played drums (pre-recorded) on all the songs from the special that featured vocals
 
I know it's been said but it's a real shame Richard won't allow these out. Are they genius? No, of course not. Heck, I even get why he doesn't like them. Still, they give us a glimpse into the people and they'd be fun to see.

Ed
 
Nope, Karen played drums (pre-recorded) on all the songs from the special that featured vocals

Hey mate,

I was intrigued at your info so thought I'd check out the liner notes from As Time Goes By. According to the credits Without a Song, You're Just in Love, and the Karen/Ella Medley all featured Cubby O'Brien exclusively on drums. For I Got Rhythm Karen is specifically credited as Drum Solo with Drums by Cubby.

Just out of interest, what was your source for Karen handling all the drumming duties?

Cheers

Neil
 
Ah, I stand corrected! I could have sworn it was Karen. My bad. Ah, the joys of age 57. There's something she drummed on where I was very surprised in the later years. I could be thinking about the Suntory Pop and AT&T commercials.
 
Ah, I stand corrected! I could have sworn it was Karen. My bad. Ah, the joys of age 57. There's something she drummed on where I was very surprised in the later years. I could be thinking about the Suntory Pop and AT&T commercials.
Maybe When it's Gone on MIA ?
 
It was buried on a Friday at 8 PM, guaranteeing a low viewership.
According to Wikipedia, the normal programming on CBS & NBC for that time slot would have been The Incredible Hulk (CBS) and Here's Boomer/Facts of Life (NBC). It is possible that they could have had specials on as well for "Sweeps Month" programming.
 
It has been 2 years since an album. If the American songbook was released as an album it may have given viewers a peek into the great music that was being highlighted. The commercials showed John Davidson and the Drum Routine similar to the First Special. Ella was the only new on the commercials. And, I agree with Harry, they buried it. In May people are very busy and weather is usually outstanding in most areas so a Friday night in May at 8 seems a good time to hide a program. These days May is a month for finalizes, but back then most everything was a rerun by May. And with the commercial showing segments similar to the past, it almost looked like a rerun.
 
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